Last week I had the pleasure of listening to a talk by the much beloved Marianne Williamson and I’m so glad I made the time to attend. Situated in the beautiful St James Church near Piccadilly Circus in London, it ended up being a very magical evening in a very special setting and I walked away with such strong inspiration I feel compelled to share the experience.

I’m actually not one for attending motivational talks but some of Marianne’s work has caught my eye and I was drawn to find out what the un-specifically titled time slot with her could potentially entail and so I purchased my ticket and avidly looked forward to the event. She ended up covering a lot of ground and the talk was mostly centered around current world events with lots of references to ‘A Course in Miracles’ (as I expected) but there was two specific points made that stuck with me so much that I’m still finding myself thinking about them a week later.

I don’t remember the precise wording so I’m not quoting directly but the basic ideas were as follows

One. Politics is generally perceived to be a negative topic by individuals interested in spiritual development, which results in them then avoiding that line of work altogether. But this is actually quite disheartening because it means that the world is missing out on a whole lot of potential goodness. Marianne encouraged involvement where possible and used an example of the success of holistic healthcare to highlight the differences the ‘higher consciousness’ society has been able to make already.

Two. We have come to use metaphysical tools, like the law of attraction, for our own ego-driven gains instead of focusing on actual spiritual development or the healing of the world as a whole. The world desperately needs our collective love (and action) to ease at least some of the unthinkable amount of suffering taking place. Marianne used examples such as Syria, ISIS, as well as just planet Earth in its own right. To the latter, she rightfully said that some environmentalist tend to say the planet will just take itself back once the damage becomes irrevocable but it seems they fail to consider the amount of human suffering this will entail.

The first point rang true with me because it lined up with my opinion of politics exactly. I avoid them like the plague and am completely ignorant to most of the current on-goings of even my own government. I just haven’t wanted it in my head and felt like my awareness would make no difference to the world or to myself. But burying my head under the stand may not be the best approach either. This is my world as much as anyone else’s and if I truly care about it as much as I believe I do – I should try to remain more aware of it’s collective current events (of which politics is a huge part of), without letting them negatively affect me. This is important because it will ensure that where possible and when needed, we can use our collective power for greater good, whether through direct action or even through just extending of our positive energy through prayer or meditation.

The second point touched my heart because I’ve come to observe a huge rise in the self-care movement. We (myself included) have become obsessed and pour our energy and money into things that make us look or feel good! In one light, this is a positive thing and largely necessary because the current pace of life takes so much from us and we need to find little ways to recharge whenever we can. And yet in another light, at least some of this focus can seem a little selfish, and could perhaps be extended towards our collective wellbeing instead. The world is experiencing tragedies of unthinkable magnitudes and even if they don’t directly affect us right away, we are all in this together and therefore share a collective responsibility of looking after each other whenever possible. A better balance of individual and collective care could go a very long way.

I think it's admirable that Marianne has managed to craft a successful career as a writer and speaker while consecutively spreading love and light to the world with her message. And even though I’m not a Course in Miracles student per se, she has still deepened my awareness and provided much inspiration that I will now endeavor to continue spreading in my own little ways. For those interested in learning more, Marianne offers free weekly talks via a live stream with more details available on her website.